Vivodyne Secures $40 Million to Advance AI-Driven Drug Testing

Vivodyne has raised $40 million in Series A funding, led by Khosla Ventures, to expand its AI and robotics platform for drug testing, according to Gigazine. The funding round also saw participation from new investors Lingotto, Helena, and Fortius Ventures, along with existing investors Kairos Ventures, CS Ventures, Bison Ventures, and MBX Capital.

Vivodyne aims to replace traditional animal testing with human-relevant data by using AI and robotics to grow human tissues in the lab. This approach is expected to provide more predictive insights and improve clinical trial success rates. The company plans to utilize the funds to open a 23,000-square-foot fully automated facility in South San Francisco, which will enable the production and analysis of thousands of functional human tissues daily.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's plan to phase out animal testing requirements by April 2025 aligns with Vivodyne's mission to enhance drug discovery processes. CEO Andrei Georgescu emphasized the potential to redefine success in drug discovery by overcoming the limitations of animal models, which have a high failure rate in human clinical trials.